Traditional Foods and Sustainable Rural Development: Exploiting the Case of the Comoros Tea as a Potential Source of Bioactive Compounds

Dario Donno, Saandia Hassani, Toilibou Sofoini, Maria Gabriella Mellano, Isidoro Riondato, Giovanni Gamba and Gabriele Loris Beccaro
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Dario Donno: Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, 10095 Turin, Italy
Saandia Hassani: National School of Cooking and Application—CODCOM, Moroni 167, Comoros
Toilibou Sofoini: Department of Sciences and technologies, University of the Comoros, Moroni 167, Comoros
Maria Gabriella Mellano: Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, 10095 Turin, Italy
Isidoro Riondato: Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, 10095 Turin, Italy
Giovanni Gamba: Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, 10095 Turin, Italy
Gabriele Loris Beccaro: Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, 10095 Turin, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-21

Abstract: Although modern medicine is available in many developing countries, such as the Comoros Islands, the primary health-care needs of the local population are based on traditional foods and beverages derived from natural resources and medicinal plants for cultural and historical reasons. Aphloia theiformis (Vahl) Benn. (‘Mfandrabo’), Cinnamomum verum J.Presl (‘Mani yamdrara’), Ocimum gratissimum L. (‘Roulé’), Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng. (‘Ynadombwe’), Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle (‘Sandze monach’) and Ocimum americanum L. (‘Kandza’) are six wild plants that are largely utilised to treat many diseases. The leaves of these plants are used in the traditional Comorian tea (aqueous infusion). This study aimed to identify and quantify the main health-promoting compounds in the traditional formulation of Comorian tea by HPLC profiling together with a preliminary assessment of antioxidant capacity to confirm the traditional use of these plants by the local population. The single plants were also studied. The Comoros tea presented a total polyphenolic content (TPC) of 4511.50 ± 74.41 mg GAE /100 g DW, a value higher than the TPCs of the different plants included in the Comorian tea. Moreover, the Comorian tea showed an antioxidant capacity (AOC) of 578.65 ± 6.48 mmol Fe 2+ /Kg DW, a value higher if compared to all the AOC values obtained in the single plants. The polyphenolic fraction (771.37 ± 35.76 mg/100 g DW) and organic acids (981.40 ± 38.38 mg/100 g DW) were the most important phytochemical classes in the Comorian tea (40.68% and 51.75% of the total phytocomplex, respectively), followed by the monoterpenes (5.88%) and vitamin C (1.67%), while carotenoids were detected in trace (0.02%). The Comorian tea could be important in meeting the high demand in the Comoros Islands and other developing countries for cost-effective and natural health-promoting foods and/or beverages to be produced by agri-food industries and used by the local population. This study may promote traditional foods in rural communities in the Comoros Islands and contribute to sustainable rural development and a commercial valorisation of these plants for health-promoting and food applications.

Keywords: traditional herbal tea; Comoros Islands; phenolic compounds; antioxidants; HPLC; agrobiodiversity; sustainable use of natural resources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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